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Iraqi soldiers walk past a replica of the Ishtar Gate
of Ancient Babylon, 135 km (85 miles) south of Baghdad, January 13,
2009. (Reuters photo)
Largely overlooked by the Western
news media over the past few weeks was an
enormously significant story. The government of Iraq is moving
forward with plans to protect the archaeological remains of the
ancient City of Babylon, in preparation for building a modern city
of Babylon. The project, originally started by the late Saddam
Hussein, is aimed eventually at attracting scores of “cultural
tourists” from all over the world to see the glories of
Mesopotamia’s most famous city. What’s more, the Obama
Administration is contributing $700,000 towards “The Future of
Babylon Project,” through the State Department’s
budget.
“Officials hope Babylon can be
revived and made ready for a rich future of tourism, with help from
experts at the World Monuments Fund (WMF) and the U.S. embassy,”
reports the
Reuters news agency. “‘The Future of Babylon’
project launched last month seeks to ‘map the current conditions of
Babylon and develop a master plan for its conservation, study and
tourism,’ the WMF says. ‘We don’t know how long it will take to
reopen to tourists,’ said Mariam Omran Musa, head of a
government inspection team based at the site. ‘It depends on funds.
I hope that Babylon can be reborn in a better image.’”
In my non-fiction book,
Epicenter
2.0, I wrote about the Bible prophecies in
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Revelation that indicate the
ancient city of Babylon in Iraq will, in fact, be rebuilt in the
“last days” of history and become the wealthiest and most powerful
city on the face of the planet. I also cited my interview with
Iraqi Finance Minister Ali Abdul Ameer Allawi who told me in 2006
at the peak of the insurgency, “Cultural, religious,
archaeological, and biblical tourism is a big opportunity for Iraq.
I think rebuilding Babylon is a wonderful idea, as long as it is
not done at the expense of the antiquities themselves.” For many, I
know the rebuilding of Babylon seemed like a far-fetched idea in
the Bible. For many more, it seemed like a far-fetched idea in
2006, as well. But skeptics and cynics take note: now that the
insurgency is dying down, the Shia-led government of Iraq is
actually moving forward with this historic and prophetic project.
They say Babylon will be “reborn.” And they’re right. It will be.
Stay tuned.
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